The present invention relates to pump systems, and more particularly to a zero maintenance pump.
In the dairy industry, high production dairy farms incorporate large numbers of cows in relatively confined feeding and bedding barns. The feeding and bedding barns include concrete flooring configured to drain water by gravity during automatic flush processes. During the flush process, pumps automatically pump high-pressure water over the flooring surfaces to wash waste away and keep the barn clean. The concrete flooring is often wet and covered with organic bedding, feed, twine, manure and urine from the cows. Out of necessity, the barns include hard concrete surfaces that facilitate the flush process as well as efficiently house and feed a maximum number of cows per area. The automated high-pressure water flush systems that wash water over the concrete pathways and flooring in the barns recirculate the water from lagoons to the barns through waste processing devices and return the waste water to the lagoons. The waste water in the lagoons can have suspended debris, such as bailing twine. The bailing twine migrates to the pumps and entangles the pump shaft. The entangled pump shaft reduces pump efficiency and unnecessarily wears the pump. When the pump wears, a portion of the water is driven past the seals and migrates along the pump shaft. The water that migrates along the pump shaft eventually penetrates the motor housing and contaminates the motor housing. The water in the motor housing rapidly degrades the motor and results in major motor failure. The failed motor is very costly to recondition.
What is needed in the art is a waste water pump that is not prone to having the waste water migrating into the motor housing.